17148 (2026). Hon Ginny Andersen to the Minister of Education

Written Question

Published date: 15 May 2026

Metadata

Document type:	Written Question
Parliament number:	54
Question number:	17148 (2026)
Question asked:	22 Apr 2026
Member asking:	Hon Ginny Andersen
Portfolio:	Minister of Education
Minister replying:	Hon Erica Stanford
Answer received:	11 May 2026
Status:	Question Answered
Reply type:	Reply
Document ID:	WQ_17148_2026
Document guid:	dd03edf4-3b49-41c3-99eb-9077920ad646

17148 (2026). Hon Ginny Andersen to the Minister of Education: Does the new SMART tool allow teachers to create writing tests by selecting a single prompt from item banks and specifying administrative settings and if not, why not?

Hon Erica Stanford: I am advised that in 2026, the Student Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting Tool (SMART) provides pre-designed assessments that have been specifically created to align to the New Zealand Curriculum or Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. Teachers cannot create writing tests by selecting individual prompts because assessments are pre-designed.